Donna and Al Gebhart recognized with major conservancy award

BETTY JOHNSTON - Staff Writer

Wallace Tucker, chairman of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy,
presented the group's Gem of a Volunteer award for 2004 to Donna
and Al Gebhart at the conservancy's annual Emerald Grove
recognition dinner April 14.

The Gebharts, Tucker said, received the prestigious award for
their leadership of the conservancy's Trails Council, as well as
their work on public trails systems in the Fallbrook area. Under
the Gebharts' leadership, he said, the Trails Council has improved
and expanded the trail system in the Santa Margarita River Valley,
including land owned by Fallbrook Public Utility District, and also
opened up a recreation area at Sandia Creek near the trailhead.

"The Gebharts," Tucker continued, "have been instrumental in
establishing a relationship with the County of San Diego, whereby
the existing trails on the county's 170-acre park along the Santa
Margarita River, will be maintained and connected to trails on FPUD
land."

Cited by Tucker as another major Trails Council accomplishment
has been the adoption by the Fallbrook Community Planning Group of
a blueprint for a community trail system on public lands, which
will extend throughout Fallbrook.

Al Gebhart is a member of the County's CSA-81 Parks Advisory
Committee and of the Live Oak Park Coalition. Both of the Gebharts
serve on the Fallbrook Land Conservancy's Technical Advisory
Board.

Other Fallbrook Land Conservancy accomplishments of the past
year include:

Special note:
The date of this year's Arts inthe Park was omitted from yesterday's column. Arts in the Park willtake place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2 in Live Oak Park, which isalong Reche Road west of Gird Road. The park's main parking lotentrance is on the north side of the Gird/Reche intersection.